Houdini: Art and Magic April 28, 2011

Magician, escape artist, and showman extraordinaire Harry Houdini (1874–1926) has remained an object of fascination for generations. Combining biographical and historical artifacts with contemporary art inspired by his physical audacity and celebrity, Houdini: Art and Magic explores Houdini as an individual and an enduring cultural phenomenon, documenting the period in American history when the young Jewish immigrant helped shape the cultural landscape and became an acknowledged mass-market star.

Featuring more than 150 objects—including film clips, stunning period posters, dramatic theater ephemera, rare photographs, original props, and the work of select twenty-first-century avant-garde artists—the exhibition reveals Houdini’s legacy as an iconic figure, both in his time and in ours, who has inspired artists today to reconsider his role as a daring persona. Organized by The Jewish Museum, New York, it is the first exhibition on the famed entertainer in a major American art museum.

Included with Museum admission: $10 General; $7 Seniors and Full-Time Students; $5 Children 2–12; FREE to Skirball Members and Children under 2; FREE to all visitors on Thursdays
Tickets available at the door